


Lost in the Unknown

by Tallytal



Category: Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon)
Genre: Edelwood Trees, Gen, POV Second Person, The Beast mentioned, The Unknown (Over the Garden Wall), implied depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 13:46:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11692899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tallytal/pseuds/Tallytal
Summary: A short story for everyone who has ever found themselves lost in the woods.





	Lost in the Unknown

You have been there too, haven’t you?

The woods are endless. Tall trunks of edelwood reach the sky, casting dark shadows on the forest floor. Any sunlight that filters through the leaves is faint, sleepy. It’s a place where time stands still, forever November.

The story is written in your eyes. You have wandered through the wood, a pilgrim on your sacred journey. You got lost and the more you searched for a way away, the deeper your path lead you. The shadows curled around you, whispered sweet, sweet lies. In a distance, a deep voice sang. 

You were scared. You were tempted. And you were tired. Your bruised feet ached, the wind that was growing colder chilled your bones. You were tired of fighting. _I should just give up pretending I’m ever going to get home._ Wouldn’t it be better to lie down and rest for a bit? 

The autumn was passing. Tiny flakes of ice crawled over the tree trunks.

**Sorrow and fear are easily forgotten when you submit to the soil of the earth.**

Like a gentle mother, the edelwood cradled you. Roots covered your body, curling around your limbs and burying themselves into your hair. Leaves tickled your face. You were so, so cold, and you knew you were not getting home. The wood tightened its grip. You couldn’t find the strength to shed a tear. _I’m lost for good._ And a dark, tall figure knelt over you, singing his song, and the forest sang with him.

But here you are. One way or another, you opened your eyes again, tore away from the edelwood. You found your way back. The pilgrim is home. One wayward soul refused to give in to Him.

Your eyes still hold the shadows of the wood. I know you still return to that place. Maybe you’ll wander forever. But you found your way back, and I know you will keep fighting. The Beast sings in the darkness, and sometimes you listen. Sometimes you still feel the edelwood roots curling around your bones. But you always find your way back home. You are a pilgrim, a hero. You will always keep on fighting.

You live on, you keep your piece of the woods hidden inside. And sometimes, when you pass a teen with old and new scars, an old man laying on the street, homeless, a single mother at the store, you recognize the shadow in their eyes. They recognize you too. 

The shadow of the forest never leaves. But we’ll find our way back. Always.


End file.
